The Diameter protocol is an authentication, authorization, and accounting protocol for use in communication networks. In particular, Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication networks may use the Diameter protocol to exchange messages between its systems. The systems participate in the provision of wireless communication services to wireless communication devices. For example, one system may authorize the devices to use the network and another may handle billing for the communication services, while other systems control other aspects of service provisioning.
As more devices access the LTE network, more Diameter protocol messages are exchanged between the systems to control access to the network for those devices. If the amount of messages reaches a great enough number, then the links connecting the systems may become too congested for all of the messages to transfer successfully. Likewise, the processing abilities of the systems themselves may become too congested to process all of the messages. If the network is too congested for all the messages, then some of the messages may be discarded due to the LTE network's inability to transfer and/or process those messages.
Overview
Embodiments disclosed herein provide systems and methods for selectively discarding Diameter protocol messages in an LTE communication system. In a particular embodiment, a method provides receiving a plurality of Diameter protocol messages at the communication control system and determining a measure of Diameter message congestion. If the measure of Diameter message congestion satisfies a congestion criteria, the method provides determining a priority of at least one message of the plurality of Diameter protocol messages. Messages associated with communication sessions participating in a data session have higher priority than messages associated with communication sessions currently establishing and the messages associated with communication sessions currently establishing have higher priority than messages associated with initiating communication sessions. The method further provides selectively discarding the at least one message based on the priority of the at least one message relative to priorities of other messages of the plurality of Diameter protocol messages.